Subnautica 2, developed by Unknown Worlds, has won the "Best Early Access Game" award at the 2026 Golden Joystick Awards. The development team also plans to release the largest content update since the game entered Early Access later in 2026.
This year marks the 44th Golden Joystick Awards, with public categories decided by online votes from players around the world. This win continues the series' record at the awards, as the original Subnautica was named "PC Game of the Year" in 2018.
Subnautica 2 is an open-world survival crafting game set on a mysterious alien ocean planet, introducing up to four-player co-op mode to the series for the first time. Players can explore ecosystems, gather resources, and build underwater bases together.
The game launched in Early Access this May, with reports indicating it sold over 2 million copies within the first 12 hours and surpassed 5 million copies within 22 days. The team adopted an "open development" approach, incorporating community feedback. Previous updates have improved exploration and survival experiences, adding proximity voice chat and a revival system to enhance cooperative gameplay.
The next major update will add new explorable areas, creatures, biomes, and vehicles. Currently, the Early Access version of Subnautica 2 is available on Steam, Xbox Series X|S, and PC via the Epic Games Store.